Coupon Barcode Basics
 

THIS POST IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. PLEASE DO NOT POST COMMENTS RELATING TO WAYS TO CIRCUMVENT THE NARRATIVE / TEXT ON THE COUPONS!!!

In the past two weeks there have been two instances where valid coupons are beeping and it's resulted in a TON of thread posts with complaints, questions, and stories from frustrated couponers. Just a little bit of knowledge about barcodes can equip you with a lot of ammunition when dealing with cashiers and managers (since most of them are clueless and you'd be teaching them).

I'll explain the coupon barcodes, then show you exactly why the Lifesavers and Pert coupons are beeping.

Coupons will beep if ANY PORTION of the barcode does not match the products in your cart.

A typical coupon barcode looks like this:
1-22222-333-44-5

1 - This portion of the code will be either a 5 or a 9. It deals with doubling. If your store doesn't double coupons, then this number has no purpose. If your store DOES double coupons, then any coupon coded with a 5 will double (up to your store's doubling limit) and any coupon coded with a 9 will not double.

22222 - This number is the manufacturer's code. This code is the reason why the Lifesavers and Pert were beeping, but I'll explain those situations below.

333 - This number is the family code. Most manufacturers break their products into families. If you see a three digit number with no zeros, the coupon is coded for a specific product. If there is one zero at the end, the coupon is coded for more than one *variety* product. If there are two zeros at the end, the coupon is coded for more than one *type or brand* of product. Here's an example of how it works:

25700 100 - any Ziploc or Saran Wrap item
25700 160 - any Ziploc item
25700 170 - any Saran Wrap item
25700 164 - Ziploc containers
25700 175 - Saran Wrap disposable Cutting Sheets

If the family code is 000, then the coupon will not beep with any product which falls under the preceeding 5-digit manufacturer's code.

Some products are not broken into any families and are coded as 992. A 992 coupon will do one of two things, depending on how your store has it's registers programmed. Either it will NEVER beep, even if you didn't buy the product, or it will ALWAYS beep and require cashier intervention. These coupons were severely abused by couponers who wanted to use coupons even though they didn't buy the product, so most major retailers have now programmed their registers to beep at every 992.


44 - This is the value code. It tells the register how much to take off. Regardless of what the wording on the coupon says, this code tells the register what you need to purchase and how much to take off. Yes, in many cases there are some VERY EXTREME differences between the wording on the coupon and what the barcode actually requires you to purchase (since there are only a limited number of value codes available). Here are the codes and, again, PLEASE NO DISCUSSIONS ON HOW TO CIRCUMVENT THE SYSTEM. The wording on the coupon is the manufacturer's intended use for it.

00 "Beep" - Manual Input Required
01 Free Item - Will normally beep so cashier can input value
02 B4G1
03 $1.10
04 $1.35
05 $1.40
06 $1.60
07 B3 $1.50
08 B2 $3.00
09 B3 $2.00
10 $0.10
11 $1.85
12 $0.12
13 B4 $1.00
14 B1G1
15 $0.15
16 B2G1
18 $2.60
19 B3G1
20 $0.20
21 B2 $0.35
22 B2 $0.40
23 B2 $0.45
24 B2 $0.50
25 $0.25
26 $2.85
28 B2 $0.55
29 $0.29
30 $0.30
31 B2 $0.60
32 B2 $0.75
33 B2 $1.00
34 B2 $1.25
35 $0.35
36 B2 $1.50
37 B3 $0.25
38 B3 $0.30
39 $0.39
40 $0.40
41 B3 $0.50
42 B3 $1.00
43 B2 $1.10
44 B2 $1.35
45 $0.45
46 B2 $1.60
47 B2 $1.75
48 B2 $1.85
49 $0.49
50 $0.50
51 B2 $2.00
52 B3 $0.55
53 B2 $0.10
54 B2 $0.15
55 $0.55
56 B2 $0.20
57 B2 $0.25
58 B2 $0.30
59 $0.59
60 $0.60
61 $10.00
62 $9.50
63 $9.00
64 $8.50
65 $0.65
66 $8.00
67 $7.50
68 $7.00
69 $0.69
70 $0.70
71 $6.50
72 $6.00
73 $5.50
74 $5.00
75 $0.75
76 $1.00
77 $1.25
78 $1.50
79 $0.79
80 $0.80
81 $1.75
82 $2.00
83 $2.25
84 $2.50
85 $0.85
86 $2.75
87 $3.00
88 $3.25
89 $0.89
90 $0.90
91 $3.50
92 $3.75
93 $4.00
95 $0.95
96 $4.50
98 B2 $0.65
99 $0.99


5 Check digit...no real relevance to couponers.

This post can and should be edited by users like you :)
 

THIS POST IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. PLEASE DO NOT POST COMMENTS RELATING TO WAYS TO CIRCUMVENT THE NARRATIVE / TEXT ON THE COUPONS!!!

A WARNING FOR COUPON FRAUD WILL BE ISSUED TO ANY USER WHO USES THIS INFORMATION IN ANY THREAD TO CIRCUMVENT THE NARRATIVE / TEXT ON THE COUPONS!!!

SHOULD WE GET TOO MANY PEOPLE WHO IGNORE THE STATEMENT ABOVE, THE THREAD WILL BE DELETED FOR GOOD.

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Some stores accept expired coupons. Check this thread to see if any stores near you have a policy to accept expired coupons:

http://forums.slickdeals.net/show...st12410695

Now for the reasons why the LIFESAVERS and PERT coupons are beeping when they shouldn't...

LIFESAVERS:

Almost every Lifesavers product is coded with 19000 as the manufacturer's code. For some unknown reason, a *few* packages (including the Orange Mints) were coded with a 22000 instead. Strangely, the coupon was coded with 22000 instead of 19000, so almost every LEGITIMATE Lifesaver purchase will still beep. You can avoid the beeps by purchasing the Orange Mints (or other 22000 varieties) or you can explain to the cashier why the product is beeping now that you understand the miscoding.


PERT:

Most Pert products are coded with 83484 as the manufacturer's code. At least one variety that I know of (Pert Plus 2 in 1 Shampoo Plus DEEP Conditioner) is coded with 37000 (the generic Proctor and Gamble code). I think this was an error in coding the product, but I can't be sure. The Pert coupons are all coded for 83484 products, so they will beep if you try to purchase a 37000 product, even though it's a LEGITIMATE use of the coupon. Again, you can avoid beeps by either not purchasing the 37000 products, or you can just explain to the cashier why it is beeping.

How do I find the product code? From UPC? TIA.

Yes, the barcode on the actual product will have the manufacturer's code in the same place as you see it on the coupon. That number must match exactly.

Wonderful educational information! Thanks & repped!

very useful information. Thanks

What an interesting read! Thanks!

Expiration Dates
 

I thought I would add that the expiration dates on the coupons are not able to be coded to expire in the middle of a month. They must expire at the end of month.

just out of curiosity.. if we can understand these coupon details this much..and it all depends on the coupon and not much on register...what stops them from creating fake coupons for any amount?

Very good information for those who didn't understand coupon coding. :)

really? so expired won't beep until the end of the month?

This is true, but expiration dates are part of the *extended* barcode. I did not post details on the extended barcode because almost no major retailers actually program their registers to read the extended barcode.

Technically, expired coupons will amost never beep because the retailers don't program the extended barcodes into the registers. In many states, expired coupons are accepted for a certain period of time by state law. In states which do not accept expired coupons, they will not beep, but the NARRATIVE / TEXT / WORDING on the coupon is always the manufacturer's intended use for it.

Many fake coupons HAVE been created, which is why an increasing number of retailers (like Rite Aid) now have policies where they won't accept printed coupons.

You deserve a rep!! Wonderful compilation. Thanks a lot.

Very interesting and informative. Thanks for taking the time to post this information. I'm printing it out for future reference.

Repped!

Thank you! Now I understand why certain coupons I have always beeped even though I had the right product.

:woot: :woot: :woot:
Love your siggy!
:woot: :woot: :woot:

I don't know how to rep, but this is GREAT info...thank you so much.

lol, I just repped bharatdotnet saying the exact same thing! great minds ;)....and rep to the op of the thread, thanks for typing the info up....it should be in the FAQs threads of each of the drugstores!

Thank you SO much for taking the time to compile this information to share with us.

Repped!

see the little colored box with a number next to it under each person's screen name...click on the number and type a message like 'thanks' and hit enter! and voilia you have repped!






<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< right there

thanks for the info and repped

Great info. Thanks for taking the time to educate us. Repped!

This is great information and I learned A LOT. Thanks for taking the time to put this together! :)

THanks Great Thread and this is very useful

Thanks! I have understood the way the coupon coding works but what always confused me is the 3 digit family code....I can't match it to the UPC of the product....is this something that is concluded as opposed to matched exactly to the UPC. Hope that makes sense.

I'm not sure exactly what you're asking, but there are times when the three digit family code will not match *exactly* to the product's family code. This happens when there are zeros on the coupon. Using the same example I gave above, I'll try to explain it better...

Assume manufacturer's code 25700 for each example. Regardless of any narrative / text on the coupon, this is how the coupon will be read by the register...

If the family code is 100, then any Ziploc or Saran Wrap item which has a family code starting with a "1" will not beep. The zeros act as wild cards. You would normally see this type of coupon when the deal is something like, "Buy any Ziploc or Saran Wrap product, Save $x" You just need to make sure that the "1" matches if you don't want the coupon to beep.

If the family code is 160, then any Ziploc item which has a family code starting with a "16" will not beep. The zero acts as a wild card. You would normally see this type of coupon when the deal is something like, "Buy any Ziploc product, Save $x" You just need to make sure that the "16" matches if you don't want the coupon to beep.

If the family code is 164, then ONLY Ziploc containers with a code of 164 will pass through without beeping. It must be an exact match; however, there *may* be a variety of different sizes and types of Ziploc containers which all have a 164 code. You would normally see this type of coupon when the deal is something like, "Buy Ziploc Containers, Save $x."

Awesome post, thanks OP.

Thanks...yes I understand the wildcard thing but guess I had instances where it didn't beep and the family code was nothing like the UPC. I will try to find some examples since I really do want to master this last piece. Thanks for your help!

Thank you so much for taking the time to explain this. It's even understandable. :bounce:

One question, do you cross check all your coupons when shopping or only if they beep?

Thanks again! :)

Ok, time for me to clarify a bit because I just realized that my post was a little confusing and I also made a misstatement (which I have since edited).

As far as Family Codes are concerned, the 3 digit code will not tie in from the coupon to the product UPC. It's a pretty good rule of thumb that if the family code has NO zeros, it'll only work on the exact product shown on the coupon (or sometimes that same product in a different size, flavor, etc.). If the family code has one zero, it'll work on a lot more products, and if it has two zeros, it'll work on just about any related product.

The only *real* way to know for sure if to view a list of value codes (which would be too extensive to post here) or to type the coupon UPC into the coupon decoder on www.dealideal.com. Everything I learned about coupon decoding I learned from that site about 5 years ago. I was a moderator there, but stopped using the site because IMO a lot of the people there weren't especially ethical (they didn't just abuse the system a little...they were seriously abusing the system!) Even so, the decoder can sometimes be helpful in determining which products will work when you have a vague coupon. I just recently re-registered there...I couldn't even remember the PW from my old account. :lol:

I only check the manufacturer's code on the coupons if they beep, AND I know that the coupon was 100% legitimate, AND the cashier / manager won't put it through.

Ok...great that is what I thought you have to "conclude" ...sort of..what the family code is for that product....like say 120 = 456,457,458 on the UPC. I was not too lost :) again, thanks for all your help.

Thanks
 

Wow! thanks for all the great info! I have never understood why I get beeped sometimes. I know the Free coupons will beep so I always put those on the register last when checking out so the cashier can verify price easier. But I've had to help "dig out" items because a coupon beeped and I knew I had bought the right thing!

This is another website you can go with a lot of information about the coupon barcode. In addition, it also has a coupon decoder and you dont have to register with them unlike dealideal.
http://www.decodingcoupons.com/

Fascinating and helpful information. Thank you!

Is there a way to find out what states require the acceptance of expired coupons. (or did I misread that somewhere?)

Ok, this is by no means even close to a complete list of Family Codes printed on coupons, but for those of you who are really interested in the Family Codes, this is a starting point. (swiped from the DI forums)

I didn't mention this in the earlier posts (I'll go add it now), but Family Code 000 basically means that the coupon will scan on ANY product that falls under the Manufacturer Code. This list seems to include lots of different items as 000...apparently the person who originally compiled the list didn't realize that 000 would work on *any* product by that manufacturer.

00031 000 Dimetapp product
00031 300 Dimetapp product
00031 316 Dimetapp long acting cough plus cold
00031 410 Robitussin syrup
00031 412 Robitussin PM
00031 420 Robitussin cold

*************************************************

00041 000 Oral B toothbrushes or stages dental floss
00041 100 Oral B crossaction or indicator toothbrush
00041 100 Oral B stages toothbrush & toothpaste
00041 100 Oral B toothbrush
00041 300 Oral B satin floss or tape
00041 311 Oral B satin floss or tape

**************************************************

00045 000 Motrin IB and Childrens Motrin
00045 000 Tylenol cold day/night convenience pack
00045 000 Tylenol cold day/night, sinus day/night, flu, sore throat, allergy/sinus
00045 000 Tylenol PM or Simply Sleep
00045 100 Tylenol extra strength or tylenol arthritis pain
00045 181 Motrin product
00045 200 Children's tylenol/Children's motrin
00045 220 Children's tylenol plus
00045 229 Tylenol simply stuffy/cough
00045 290 Children's motrin
00045 450 St. Joseph product
00045 550 Imodium
00045 550 Imodium or GasAid
00045 992 Viactiv chews

*******************************************

00521 110 Vaseline intensive care lotion
00521 110 Vaseline intensive care/healthy hand essentials lotion
00521 119 Vaseline healthy hand essentials

************************************************

00766 100 Tums bottles
00766 100 Tums smooth disolve
00766 180 Tums smooth disolve

*******************************************

09800 110 Tic Tacs
09800 111 Tic Tacs
09800 116 Tic Tac 6pk

*******************************************

10900 100 Reynolds Wrap foil or wrappers
10900 120 Reynolds heavy duty aluminum foil
10900 130 Reynolds wrappers foil sheets
10900 160 Reynolds release foil

*******************************************

11111 100 All detergent
11111 100 Surf detergent
11111 100 Wisk or Surf powder,liquid or tablet
11111 110 Wisk detergent
11111 110 Wisk sport detergent
11111 116 Tide dual action tablets
11111 120 Surf liquid/powder detergent
11111 127 Surf tablets detergent
11111 130 All detergent
11111 137 All oxi active
11111 138 All dryer sheets
11111 138 All liquid fabric softener

********************************************

11132 000 Alpo chew-eez or master choice
11132 100 Alpo dry dog food
11132 300 Alpo prime treats or healthy snacks
11132 300 Alpo soft treats, biscuts, variety snaps or liv-a-snaps
11132 400 Alpo cans
11132 411 Alpo cans

*************************************************

11162 000 Mrs. Paul's frozen seafood
11162 350 Mrs. Paul's shrimp bowls

*************************************************

12000 000 Pepsi-buy 3 2 ltr bottles & Frito Lay product
12000 000 Lipton brisk
12000 100 Pepsi-buy 1 12/24pk & Tostitos gold tortilla chips

********************************************

13700 000 Hefty easy flaps/twist tie
13700 200 Hefty cinch sak
13700 200 Hefty garbage bags
13700 200 Hefty cinch sak or gripper
13700 210 Hefty the gripper
13700 280 Hefty the gripper
13700 622 Hefty zoo pals plates

*************************************************

13800 000 Stouffer's skillet/oven sensations
13800 200 Stouffer's french bread pizza
13800 400 Stouffer's lean cuisine
13800 416 Stouffer's lean cuisine dinnertime selections
13800 600 Stouffer's entrees
13800 615 Stouffer's slowfire classics
13800 616 Stouffer's maxaroni mac & cheese
13800 620 Stouffer's family style recipies entrée or side dish

*************************************************

14100 100 Pepperidge Farm swirl bread/engl. muffins
14100 128 Pepperidge Farm natural whole grain bread

********************************************

17000 100 Dial bar soap, body wash or liquid soap
17000 100 Coast or Tone multi-bar pack
17000 100 Dial multi-bar packs or body wash
17000 125 Tone body wash
17000 140 Dial liquid hand soap
17000 141 Dial antibacterial foaming hand wash

********************************************

17400 000 Carolina or River rice
17400 100 Carolina rice
17400 140 Carolina rice mix

*************************************************

18000 000 Pillsbury grands or sweet rolls
18000 102 Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust
18000 103 Pillsbury refrigerated pizza crust
18000 110 Pillsbury crusty french loaf
18000 110 Pillsbury soft/flavored breadsticks
18000 112 Pillsbury crusty french loaf
18000 118 Pillsbury flavored breadsticks
18000 150 Pillsbury crescent rolls
18000 150 Pillsbury grands biscuts
18000 155 Pillsbury grands sweet rolls
18000 158 Pillsbury grands crescent dinner rolls
18000 159 Pillsbury crescent rolls
18000 400 Pillsbury dessert baking mix or frosting
18000 434 Pillsbury quickbread mix
18000 550 Pillsbury home baked classics biscuts or dinner rolls
18000 550 Pillsbury home baked classics cookies or sweet rolls
18000 552 Pillsbury home baked classics dinner rolls
18000 553 Pillsbury home baked classics biscuts
18000 554 Pillsbury home baked classics cookies
18000 555 Pillsbury home baked classics sweet rolls
18000 731 Pillsbury frozen pancakes/waffles
18000 731 Pillsbury waffle sticks w/dippin cups
18000 811 Pillsbury strawberry-kiwi or watermelon toaster strudel
18000 811 Pillsbury toaster strudel
18000 813 Pillsbury toaster scrambles
18000 081 Pillsbury sweet rools
18000 091 Pillsbury refrigerated cookie dough
18000 094 Pillsbury holiday refrigerated cookie dough
18000 096 Pillsbury ready to bake cookies

************************************************

18627 000 Kashi cereal
18627 000 Kashi GOLEAN bar
18627 000 Kashi product

************************************************

19800 100 Windex glass & surface cleaner
19800 100 Windex multi-surface cleaner
19800 118 Windex glass & surfac powerized foam

********************************************

22700 110 Covergirl cosmetic product
22700 111 Covergirl CG smoothers
22700 111 CG fresh complexion pocket powder foundation
22700 111 CG fresh complexion pocket powder foundation & under eye concealer

************************************************

20662 000 Newman's Own popcorn or salsa
20662 110 Newman's Own salad dressing
20662 210 Newman's Own pasta sauce
20662 340 Newman's Own popcorn

************************************************

21000 000 Kraft products
21000 160 Kraft parmesan cheese
21000 210 Kraft handi-snacks
21000 230 Philadelphia cream cheese
21000 230 Philadelphia snack bars
21000 340 Kraft dressing
21000 411 Kraft easy mac
21000 412 Kraft mac & cheese
21000 430 Kraft mayonnaise
21000 450 Kraft bbq or bulls-eye sauce
21000 659 Breyers yogurt
21000 711 Breakstone's cottage cheese
21000 780 Light n Lively cottage cheese

************************************************

21131 000 Marie Callender's dinner
21131 300 Marie Callender's dinner

************************************************

23900 100 Vicks 44 vaporub,sinex,vapor inhaler, steam
23900 100 Vicks dayquil,nyquil,sinex inhaler, vaposteam
23900 100 Vicks product
23900 100 Vicks 44
23900 131 Vicks dayquil/nyquil
23900 161 Vicks vaporub

********************************************

25293 110 Silk Soymilk
25293 116 Coffee Soylatte

************************************************

25700 100 Ziploc bags
25700 160 Ziploc containers
25700 164 Ziploc divided containers
25700 164 Ziplock containers
25700 165 Ziploc table tops containers
25700 170 Saran wrap
25700 170 Saran wrap or quick covers
25700 173 Saran quick covers
25700 175 Saran disposable cutting sheets

*********************************************

25800 100 Smart Ones
25800 140 Smart Ones Smartwich

*********************************************

28000 100 Tasters Choice coffee
28000 113 Nescafe frothe

*********************************************

28400 000 12 pack Pepsi & 12oz or larger Fritoy Lay product
28400 000 Doritos, reduced fat lay's
28400 000 Tostitos dips
28400 320 12 pack Pepsi & 12oz or larger Tostitos
28400 440 Rold Gold pretzels
28400 560 Taco Bell salsa
28400 771 Frito Lay munchies snack mix
28400 790 Doritos 3D's

*************************************************

29000 000 Planters product
29000 182 Planters trail mix
29000 300 Blue Bonnet product
29000 400 Fleischmann's margarine or spread
29000 992 Egg Beaters product
29000 992 Fleishmann's margarine or spread product
29000 992 Parkay product

*************************************************

30100 100 Keebler crackers
30100 131 Keebler club mini sandwich crackers
30100 132 Keebler town house crackers
30100 167 Keebler wheatables

*********************************************

31604 000 Nature Made product
31604 000 Nature made triple flex
31604 000 Nature resource product
31604 000 Nature made rekindle
31604 000 Nature made chloest-off
31604 000 Nature sam-e
31604 000 Nature Made joint action

*************************************************

33200 110 Arm & Hammer baking soda
33200 115 Arm & Hammer baking soda

************************************************

33776 100 Smart Beat cheese or margarine
33776 100 Smart Beat margarine or mayo
33776 100 Smart Beat/Soy Garden cheese slices
33776 150 Smart Balance buttery spread

*********************************************

36200 100 Ragu pasta sauce
36200 180 Ragu rich & meaty sauce

*********************************************

37254 000 Kodak picture cd
37254 000 Kodak picture processing

*************************************************

38000 000 Eggo products
38000 300 Eggo products
38000 300 Eggo waffles
38000 380 Eggo special K or nutri-grain waffles
38000 390 Eggo waf-fulls
38000 394 Eggo waf-fulls
38000 500 Kellogs cereal
38000 503 Kelloggs Crispix
38000 551 Kelloggs Special K
38000 561 Kelloggs Raisin Bran
38000 590 Kelloggs fun/variety pak
38000 810 Kelloggs pop-tarts
38000 814 Kelloggs pop-tart pastry swirls
38000 814 Kelloggs pop-tarts snack stix
38000 815 Kelloggs pop-tarts snack stix
38000 830 Kelloggs Nutri-Grain bars

************************************************

40000 000 M&M holiday candies
40000 000 M&M/Mars fun size candy
40000 183 Cookies& brand cookies
40000 413 M&M's
40000 600 Skittles candy
40000 618 Starburst
40000 812 Kudos granola bars
40000 921 Celebration chocolates
40000 941 Mint Skittles 1.6oz
40000 942 Mint Skittles 4.8oz

***********************************************


41000 100 Lipton tea bags
41000 130 Lipton tea bags
41000 175 Lipton chailatta tea mix

*********************************************

41143 100 Sunmaid raisins
41143 111 Sunmaid mini snacks

*********************************************

41554 000 Maybelline mascara
41554 000 Maybelline mascara, shadow or liner

***********************************************

41388 100 Blistex product
41388 112 Dairy Ease milk

*********************************************

41390 100 Kikkoman sauce
41390 180 Kikkoman marinade

*********************************************

42000 000 Dixie krazy kritters plates or cups
42000 150 Brawny napkins
42000 230 Quilted Northern tp
42000 231 Quilten Northern ultra tp
42000 239 Quilted Northern moist wipes
42000 310 Brawny paper towels
42000 611 Dixie bath cups
42000 700 Dixie plates

*************************************************

42800 110 Totino's party pizza products
42800 116 Totino's pizza rolls

************************************************

43000 100 Post bran or bran flakes
43000 100 Honey Bunches of Oats cereal
43000 100 Post cereal
43000 127 Honey Bunches of Oats cereal

*********************************************

44000 000 Nabisco cookies, crackers or Ritz snack mix
44000 100 Nabisco oreos
44000 100 Nabisco oreos/chips ahoy/cookie tray packs
44000 163 Nabisco snackwells cookies or crackers
44000 200 Nabisco crackers
44000 247 Nabisco honey maid sticks

*************************************************

44600 100 Ultra Clorox bleach
44600 160 Clorox oxygen stain remover

*********************************************

46000 100 Old El Paso products
46000 120 Old El Paso dinner kits or taco shells
46000 123 Old El Paso dinner kits
46000 131 Old El Paso salsa

*********************************************

48001 100 Hellman's big squeeze mayonnaise
48001 100 Hellman's mayonnaise
48001 117 Hellman's flavored light mayonnaise
48001 170 Hellman's flavored light mayonnaise

*********************************************

48500 000 Tropicana healthy kids oj
48500 100 Tropicana OJ
48500 400 Dole juice blends
48500 500 Tropicana Twister

*************************************************

49336 000 Rembrandt product
49336 120 Rembrandt 3in1
49336 330 Rembrandt plus peroxide whitening rinse
49336 940 Rembrandt quick white

*************************************************

51000 100 Campbells tomato
51000 111 Campbells condensed
51000 111 Campbells fun favorites
51000 113 Campbells great for cooking
51000 121 Campbells chunky
51000 122 Campbells select
51000 124 Campbells ready to serve
51000 151 Campbells soup to go
51000 153 Campbells soup at hand
51000 160 Swanson chicken broth

*********************************************

51500 100 Smuckers jam,jelly or preserves + Jif pb
51500 110 Smuckers jam, jelly or preserves
51500 118 Smuckers squeeze fruit spread

*********************************************

51700 100 Electrasol dishwasher detergent
51700 130 Electrasol gelpacs
51700 160 Electrasol dishwasher detergent

**********************************************

52100 100 McCormick spice or seasoning
52100 137 McCormick 1 Step seasoning
52100 140 McCormick dry seasoning mixes

***********************************************

53100 100 Aquafresh toothpaste
53100 140 Aquafresh whitening toothpaste

***********************************************

54100 000 Vlasic pickles or peppers
54100 100 Vlasic pickles

*************************************************

54400 100 A1 steak sauce
54400 180 A1 marinade

***********************************************

62338 110 Spray n Wash stain remover
62338 117 Spray n Wash white laundry bleach gel

************************************************

64144 100 Chef Boyardee products
64144 110 Chef Boyardee products
64144 113 Chef Boyardee products

***********************************************

67990 110 Rapid White tooth whitening system
67990 111 Natural White 5 minute tooth whitening system

************************************************

70085 000 Ore-Ida bagel/hot bites
70085 100 Ore-Ida bagel/hot bites

*************************************************

70230 000 Tidy Cat litter
70230 400 Tidy Cat liner or deodorizer

*************************************************

70942 000 Butler GUM oral care product
70942 100 Butler GUM toothbrush

*************************************************

70970 000 Marshmallow peeps
70970 000 Hot Tamales/Mike & Ike candy

*************************************************

71038 000 Chock Full of Nuts NY decaf/cappucino
71038 100 Chock Full of Nuts all-method grind
71038 340 Chock Full of Nuts NY classics
71249 100 L'Oreal hair color
71249 111 L'Oreal preference hair color
71249 112 L'Oreal excellence hair color
71249 140 L'Oreal open hair color

***********************************************

73010 100 Tampax product
73010 112 Tampax
73010 115 Tampax pearl

***********************************************

73202 100 Jose Ole items
73202 141 Jose Ole taquitos

***********************************************

73410 000 Arnold product
73410 992 Old London or Devonsheer product

*************************************************

74182 110 Softsoap liquid hand soap
74182 116 Softsoap body wash

************************************************

74200 100 L'eggs pantyhose
74200 160 L'eggs sheer energy pantyhose

***********************************************

74312 000 Knox for nails
74312 000 Knox Nutra Joint
74312 000 Flex-a-min

*************************************************

74570 100 Haagen Dazs ice cream
74570 135 Haagen Dazs gelato

***********************************************

74956 000 Hebrew National bologna
74956 000 Hebrew National franks
74956 000 Hebrew National franks in a blanket

*************************************************

76301 000 Apple & Eve cranberry
76301 000 Apple & Eve juice

*************************************************

77900 100 Jimmy Dean fresh breakfast sausage
77900 150 Jimmy Dean fresh links or patties

***********************************************

78300 100 Woolite product
78300 100 Woolite rug & upholstery cleaner
78300 100 Woolite power shot carpet/upholstery cleaner
78300 116 Woolite oxy deep carpet stain remover

***********************************************

78354 000 Cabot sharp cheese
78354 703 Cabot cheese
78354 703 Cabot extra sharp cheese

*************************************************

79400 000 Suave product
79400 100 Salon Selectives or Finesse hair product
79400 110 Suave or Rave styling product
79400 111 Suave shampoo/conditioner
79400 120 Finesse haircare
79400 120 Finesse or Salon Selectives hair care
79400 130 Salon Selectives haircare
79400 160 Suave aromabenefits, performance, professionals, for kids or hot oil
79400 170 Thermasilk haircare
79400 180 Dove hair care product
79400 300 Suave lotion or body wash
79400 410 Suave deodorant
79400 420 Degree deodorant
79400 430 Dove deodorant
79400 430 Dove deodorant/body refreshers

**************************************************

93190 000 Ginkoba
93190 000 Ginsana
93190 000 Supplifem or Kyolic
93190 090 Venastat
93190 212 Flexium joint comfort

*************************************************

repped. very educational... thank you!

When I click on that link, all I get is a blank page -- is anyone else having this problem?

thanks..............

I honestly don't know. For some reason, I recall Illinois being one of them, but I could be wrong. I know that many states have individual stores which accept expired coupons. I also know that Military Commissaries accept them.

Thanks for the info. I have a question - how is the quantity requirement coded? Like Buy 2 save $2.

That's in the 2 digit value code. Example below:

76 = $1.00 of ONE item
33 = $1.00 of TWO items

:bounce: Very Educational.:shake: :nod:

Your example would be value code 51 from my first post.

Keep in mind that not every coupon *wording* will have a perfectly matching code. There are a limited number of codes, so when a manufacturer can't find a matching code to what they want, they choose the closest code with the dollar amount they want.

This is fantastic. Thanks!

And a rep to a fellow "great mind"....hehehehe ;) :lmao:

Nice post thanks for the info, appreciate the time and effort you put into it. Very clear and easy to understand.

I bought Pert at on store with code 83484 no beeps. Bought Pert at another store and coupon beeped. Compared the Pert to the one bought previously and they were identical in codes. Both were the Pert Happy Medium 2 in 1.

This thread should be a must read for this forum.

There's no reason I can possibly think of that the second one could have beeped unless (1) you gave the cashier more Pert coupons than bottles of Pert in your order, or (2) you used more manufacturer's coupons (for ALL items) than items in your order and the Pert was one of the last ones to scan. The reason this could cause a beep is because many registers are programmed to beep if a customer tries to use more manufacturer's coupons than the total number of items purchased (store coupons don't count in this scenario).

Thank you for such an informative post.It's because of people like you that take time to post and help out the Slickdeal community newbies like myself have learned so much!! Thanks again!

I absolutely agree. I wish that I had this info a long time ago. I appreciate having it now, though!

:nod: Great post ! I do agree with a previous poster about the Pert. I matched the family codes because of the beeping, and the coupons STILL beeped! I have no idea why.This was at CVS and Walmart. I ended up just telling the cashier I had no idea why they beeped, and showing her that the codes did match. This happened on the $2 and the $3 pert coupons. (obviously the 1 time the $3 coupon should have beeped for the price to be adjusted, but it would say 'item not found' or somthing like that):confused:

Is there a list somewhere of the states in which expired coupons are accepted by state law after expiration?

http://www.decodingcoupons.com/

Is anyone else getting a blank page? thanks...............

it comes up fine for me, I don't know what could be wrong :confused:

Ok, I'm going to have to stand corrected on this one. I seemed to recall from years ago a forum buddy from Illinois who posted that expired coupons were accepted by state law there and some other states. Well I just spent about 5-10 minutes google searching and it came up empty. I'm guessing that it's either never been the case or it's a thing of the past. I found a list of specific stores which accept them though...maybe it'll help somebody.

BTW, your screenname leads me to believe you live in TN. If you're in Middle TN, definitely a no-go for you, because that's where I live and I've asked just about every store in the area if their policy is to accept them. :lol:

I often find that different stores accept coupons differently. Even stores in the same chain. For example, if I buy an item for .99, one store will allow my $1 coupon and another won't.
Each store's POS system is programmed differently and that would affect the varying coupon acceptance.

I know most talk has to do with drug stores, but Bed, Bath and Beyond has apolicy to accept its expired coupons. I can confirm NY, NJ and PA.

I appreciate the list, but it may be rather old. There is a store on there that changed it's name (and is now out of business) in 1996.

Thanks, I couldn't get it to come up with Explorer ( maybe a Vista problem, there are enough!) so I tried with Firefox and it's fine. Thanks for your response!

Great Explanation!!! Quick Question
 

Do you know if the source of the dealideal website decoder. What I mean is -- is it based on just people entering coupons into their database that worked or didn't work or is it based on something else.

It is programmed to know manufacturer codes, product codes, and value codes. Forum members enter new coupons they find and the program will decode which products (and quantity) the coupon will work on.

this is what it says now when u click on the decodingcoupons website...

"It is most obvious from post which have recently appeared on SlickDeals that the information in the database I maintain is being stolen and republished. Because of this, I have decided to take the database offline. The actions of a few ruin it for everyone.

-john "

/me shrugs

i dont see what the big deal is, unless i missed something its just checking coupon codes lol.

Well not only that, but I was the OP of this thread and I did NOT take any information from that site. The only site I *stole* anything from was the partial list of product codes, and I *stole* that information from a post on dealideal (and gave credit to dealidea in my post).

WOW! This is GREAT! I pretty much had all this info but from different sources. I'm printing this b/4 anyone tried to pull it. THANKS again, OP! :worship:

The military commisaries overseas will accept expireds for 6 months after the expiration date. The ones in CONUS (continental US) and Hawaii are the worst sticklers about coupons I've ever run into. :nod:

Thanks for the good info though. :)

Dude, dont know what johns problem is, not like it couldnt have been googled. Scince when did people think they had privacy on the internet?:confused:

Sounds like John is acting the way the people are suing him are acting. They don't want him stealing their code information and he does not want anyone stealing his decoding information. (not implying you stole the information from him)

Seeing as I'd never seen or heard of that website until somebody else posted it in this thread (and I didn't even use it after it was posted here), I'm not exactly concerned :lol:

This is a *very* informative post. It is extremely helpful to a newbie like me. Thanks much and definitely repped!

Yeah, I emailed him once. On his tenbucks .net website. He never emailed me back. He must be real busy, too busy to respond to his members. :rolleyes:

I have a question. I have used tons of those $3/2 Huggies Clean Team product coupons at Walmart, always at WM cause they are the only one that carries the soft packs for $1.64 and everytime I use them they beep and the screen read "Valid Coupon Amount $3.00?". Why do they do this?

I'll keep reading the thread and if it has already been answered then I apologize for asking again.

Lora

If the value code on that coupon is 08, then it shouldn't beep *unless* the product code differs from the actual product you are buying.

Most every coupon that is "over the amount" causes WM register to say that. The coupon is $3/2, but the wipes are $1.64 each. For example, if you buy the john frieda stuff for .97 and use the $1 coupon, it says that also. I'm not sure if its asking the cashier to double check things, to make sure its legit, or in the case of the huggies clean team wipes, maybe it doesn't do well with $3/2. I mean, maybe it subtracts the $3 fine, assuming the cashier hits the button, but maybe it can't tell/know if you bought 1 or 2? Not sure, just guessing there.

thanks for the informative thread! rep'd. :D

Wow - Thanks for the information - It's like Coupon Reading School - Rep to OP and a sticky for this thread!

Wal Marts (at least in TN) don't beep at overages. Even if they did, there is no overage here, since the products amount to $3.28 and the coupon is for $3.00. The register knows how many products are purchased...that is most definitely NOT the problem. The problem is most likely in the coding of the coupon vs. the product. It's also possible, but unlikely, that the individual store you are shopping at programmed its registers to beep at EVERY coupon over a certain dollar value (e.g., $2.50 or $3.00)

Actually, the coupon is coded correctly, the upc's match. I HAVE noticed that the walmarts I have shopped at DO ask "Valid coupon amount?" for overage coupons. I tend to agree with CVS Lifer that this is how Walmarts system is set up and if your WM in TN doesn't ask this then it is probably a something programmed differently at your store.

But there is no overage here. 2 x $1.64 = $3.28 and the coupon value is only $3.00

This is all really OT anyway. It's not an issue relating to how to read a barcode. If the coding on that particular coupon is correct, then it's a Wal Mart programming issue.

Thanks for the info
 

Thanks for the information, as I try to figure out why my legit coupons beep at SC.

I used that decoding Q's website all the time. Boy, am I going to miss it. :(

I tried the one on dealideal, but most of the time it just tells me exactly what the coupon tells me. I can read. I don't need a website to read the Q for me. I need one to decode it. Anyone else know of any?

Very informative. Great post, I enjoyed reading it.

No, that was the only one I know of besides dealideal, which sucks. I wish we would have had a choice to either keep the thread that ticked him off or his website. I know how I would have voted.

I have a coupon in which the first number is a "1". I noticed in the OP's post it states the first number will be a "5" or a "9" and deals with doubling. What if it is a "1"? Any clue? Sorry if I missed it and it is in this Thread somewhere.

I'm not trying to plug the dealideal website, because personally I don't really care for it either. However, the decoder DOES work and it DOES NOT just tell you what's already written on the coupon. I think you might be using the dealideal decoder incorrectly.

I had never heard of that other website until I saw the post about it here, so I won't miss it at all. Besides, I wouldn't go there anyway if it's run by a guy who gets bent out of shape over a post on a message board which had NOTHING to do with his site in the first place.

How do you know it was this thread that made him mad? And I do know how to use dealideals decoder, and also know that it depends on consumers to "plug in" what the coupon works for.

Just because some people didn't use decodingcoupons site doesn't mean that no one did. I will miss that site a lot.

I believe one of his biggest pet peeves as a web developer is when someone links directly to content he's created.

Anyone else blocked by IP??

Maybe those of us who did use it could email him and let him know how much we appreciate his site and let him know hoe much we'll really miss it.

Those were the only two coupons I had. It came up item not found. But on examining the coupons and the items the cashier put them through.

That is a spectacular idea! I don't know if he'll listen, but I definitely appreciated the site and would love to see it return.

Every WM I shop at, it asks the cashier valid coupon amount. I cannot explain for each case why it does. However in this case the register see's 2 items each at $1.64, and 1 coupon at $3. IMHO, in this case, this register is asking the cashier, is it ok for me to take the $3 off. I have offered a possibility as to why its doing this, perhaps it wants to make sure the cashier knows that 2 items have been purchased, and not just 1, WM registers are smart, but not as smart as you might think. The coupon exceeds the value of 1 item, not both combined obviously, this is a likely reason.

I do agree with you, more then likely a WM programming issue. After all, it is at WM that nearly every coupon I hand over asks, valid coupon amount? Its as if the register isn't capable of knowing if it is or not. But you never know with WM, wasn't it them who deducted $$ from there own employees paychecks for something those employees did? Perhaps this is another attempt of WM's to bring "lower prices everyday" to there customers, because if an employee takes a bad coupon, and WM doesnt get paid for it, they deduct it from the employees check, and thats why the register wont just deduct the coupon value, but rather forces the employee to double check.

OT a little, but only to explain what could be the reason for why this coupon (among others) beep for cashier assitance (valid coupon amount?).

this is a great thread. i never knew there was a such thing as coupon decoding. but it makes so much sense that there would be such a thing. i just loved that coupons saved me money haha now this will benefit me in saving even more money. :woot: thanks OP! repped!

I just e-mailed him. Anyone else?

I emailed him last night. He seems like a nice and reasonable man, and his reasons for shutting down the site were absolutely legitimate. I am just sorry something on slickdeals made him feel that way. :(

Cool, Thanks.

Exactly what part of his reasons were legitimate? He slandered me for stealing from his site, which I had never even heard of until somebody else posted a link to it. No information was *stolen* from him, so how is his slander legitimate?

And this is just speculation, but if his site was constructed post-2003, it's more than likely that the ideas on his site were *borrowed* from dealideal. To my knowledge, DI was the first site of its kind.

He never mentioned you or this thread specifically. In fact, he said not to assume it was this thread. And dealideal may have the basics, but it's nowhere near as user friendly or complete as decodingcoupons was. I have never been able to input something on DI and see a complete list of products yet. Partial maybe, but never complete.

But regardless, this is all :deadhorse: because he says the site is not coming back.

Good info here.

I'm not going to disagree with you here, because I never used his site to know. I'm also not a huge DI fan, even though I think it's a good source of information.

However, it would be amazingly coincidental if he *wasn't* referring to me. I searched SD and can find no other thread that's referenced his site this week. I'm fairly certain he was referring to the information I posted in this thread and I take it personally that he's claiming I stole from his site.

I really hate flame wars and I'm not going to get involved in one now. I am going to say this and it will be the end of it (expect no further comments from me):

I never said it was your thread or you that made me take the site off line. Why do you automatically assume that it was something posted this week?

I'm pretty certain what I said was more along the lines of a recent discovery. Oh, and guess what, the thread I'm referring to doesn't even mention my site. however, it does have data on it which was collected from my site and while I may not have hard evidence to that fact, circumstantial evidence definitely points in that direction. I spent many hours developing the site into a very user friendly interface which offered the most accurate results currently available and I will not have those efforts undermined.

I really can't believe I'm being slammed as much as I am for taking a site down, a site which was offered to the public with no expectation of anything in return. Be thankful you had it while it was there and allow me my peace to continue fighting the battle I must fight alone, without assistance of any attorneys, against Coupons, Inc. (again, for something I did for this community and have received nothing in return).

Edited to correct:

I've re-read what I posted on the website and I obviously said "recent posts" instead of "recently discovered posts." If my mistake in language led you to believe I singled out this thread, I apologize.

I hate flame wars myself, and hope this doesn't turn into one. I need to point out that your post above seems self-aggrandizing. You did what you did for your own reasons, but sharing how to defeat coupons.com thinking that that is somehow going to earn you something in return is rediculous. If you can't afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. You fight coupons.com alone, your the one that hacked it. I find it fitting that your username is virtually_john. It seems the fame and celebrity you had hoped you'd find for your hack is just that, virtual. Someone could walk past you on the street and wouldn't know you any better then any of the rest of us. Its your site, you can take it down at anytime. If OP wants to think its because of them that you took your site down, what does it even matter?

I'm a bit puzzled by your tone. In the past your posts have been well received but some of the information in this post is certainly incorrect.

First, my understanding is that this is a civil matter and as such an attorney will not be provided to John as you assert.

Also John remains innocent unless Coupons, Inc. can prove in a court of law that he violated their rights. This is the same rights that you, I, or anyone else in this country are guaranteed. Until this is settled in a court of law it serves no one to assume that he hacked their software and violated their rights.

Finally, unless you have a direct intimate knowledge of John's motives I would suggest that you not speculate about them. This only stirs up hard feeling and detracts from the CVS community.

Hopefully we can move forward in a positive and supportive manner.

does anyone know the price of Pert at Walmart?

:dontknow: but you could try asking in the Walmart thread. It's in the Drugstore forum. HTH

Not certain, probably just over $3 for regular size.... but on a much more important note I did hear that the price of tea in China increased drastically in recent weeks...... Maybe some tea conspiracy???

Is there no honor among THIEVES?? lol

My point was that John seemed to feel as if he were owed something, because although he says he expected nothing in return, both his tone and the number of times/ways he said it, seemed opposite. As I said, only he knows the reasons why he tried to defeat coupons.com software, and that he is free to take his site down at anytime. But like a child saying mine mine mine, don't put something out there online or otherwise, and expect heaps of praise. If you truly do expect nothing in return, then dont come here and post or take your site offline because of a few member posts on SD.

Whatever.

I suppose we'll see if Coupons, Inc. can actually prove he "hacked" or "defeated" their system as they have claimed. I for one do not assume so but I'll leave that decision up to a court of law.

As for John's motivation for taking down his decoder we can only speculate. Anyone can speculate but without hard facts it's nothing more. What we do know is that he stated that it was taken down for reason's not related to this thread. He even apologized for not making that as clear as he could have. Doesn't sound like a self-seeking or childish attitude to me.

If I was being falsely attacked by a large corporation and had to defend myself in court at my own expense I can assure you I would probably not be as gracious as John has been.

Having said that, hopefully, we can move on.

It ended up being 2.98 for the little one here in the sunshine state, Pert is a horrendous shampp, and I only buy it to wash my dog!

I certainly don't want any piece of this drama. What I do want is to thank you for creating the site to begin with. I probably only decode coupons once or twice a month at best. I was thrilled when I stumbled upon your site because it was so easy to use. I clicked on my bookmark tonight and found out the decoder was no longer available. I will certainly win it.

Good luck with your lawsuit.

I have a question about barcodes. Okay, so there is a family code that is associated with the coupon. Is there anyway to tell what items these are for? Like on Colgate Total Advanced Clean coupon I have, the family code is 550. I am assuming that this must mean all Colgate toothpaste. But on a Colgate Total Advance Clean container, I don't see any part of the barcode that matches this number. So how does that get verified?

Coupon barcode is 5-35000-55076-2 the product barcode is 0-35000-74543-9

Short of punching the coupon into a decoder, it's hard to know for certain; however, I'm pretty sure it will work on any Colgate Toothpaste. This is my rationale...

35000 is the manufacturer's code for Colgate-Palmolive. If the family code was 000, it would work on any Colgate *or* Palmolive product. From that, my guess is that the first 5 in the family code on this coupon must be limiting the purchase to Colgate. The 0 in the family code means it can be used on more than one product. Therefore, my guess is that the middle digit (5 in this case) must be determining whether it can be used on toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, etc. So, my educated guess is that it can be used on any Colgate Toothpaste without beeping; however, you need to be sure to follow the wording on the coupon, regardless of the coding. :)

That $1 off colgate total advanced clean coupon scans on itself (I've used it before, if memory serves it scans fine), but it wont work on any other kind of colgate tp. HTH.

I stand corrected ;)

This just reinforces my point though...without having a decoder or list of family codes, it's hard to know for sure. A 000 is easy and a family code with x00 is normally fairly easy, but it's hard to know what will work or not work if you've only got one 0 at the end.

It's also going to depend on what store you use it at...as some stores don't read family codes at all....

Maybe somebody can help me figure this out. I have some coupons for Gold Peak Tea. One is coded for B2G1 (Free tea WYB 2 bottles), and the other coupon is $1 off 2 bottles (33). How many bottles do I have to buy to use both of these? Will I be okay if I buy 4 bottles? I'm doing the monthly CVS deal, so I need to buy in multiples of two.

TIA

I've never heard of this product, but let's assume it costs $1.50 per bottle. Buy three bottles for $4.50. The $1/2 coupon will bring your total down to $3.50, then the B2G1 coupon will take off another $1.50, so you'd pay $2.00 for 3 bottles, or $.67 each.

If you have multiples of these coupons, then the *best* way to use them is to purchase in multiples of 6. Buy 6 bottles for $9.00. Use THREE $1/2 coupons to bring your total down to $6.00. Then use TWO B2G1 coupons ($1.50 each) to bring your total down to $3.00 for 6 bottles, or $.50 each.

Thanks for the reply, but I already went to cvs and tried it. I bought 4 bottles ($1.69) gave the B2G1 and then the $1off 2. The second Q beeped. Was I supposed to give them in a certain order? The cashier said it was because the Q stated 1 per purchase :shake: .
I halfheartedly attempted to explain the purchase / transaction difference, but it was a no go. The manager told her to scan it again after I added another bottle (total of 5 bottles). It worked, and she was not happy about it. :rolleyes:

I used a 992 coupon($4 Monistat 01/06 V.) that beeped at one CVS(after scanning fine at several others).The cashier and then manager didn't know what to do.I finally just took the Monistat off my order and got something (I actually wanted;)) to cover the negative balance.But,if this situation were to happen again(now that I realize it is a 992) what should I instruct the cashier to do?Should I just explain the 992 coded coupons scan on anything (even if you don't buy it)so some registers are programmed to beep to allow the cashier to verify and then manually enter the coupon as a mfg coupon?Or is there something else more specific such as a certain key (or way to enter the coupon)I can mention?

Wow... that is very useful information! :) Thanks!!!
I feel smarter already. ;)

About 3-5 years ago 992 abuse reached a peak because it became commonly known among hard-core couponers that they would never beep and you could use them on any item. Unethical couponers would buy large quantities of groceries with coupons, then slip in a few random 992 coupons with their orders to cover their non-coupon items, such as produce, meat, etc. Crest Whitestrips used to print only 992 coupons and a lot of people used to brag about using one $5 Whitestrip coupon on every grocery order (they didn't use the higher value whitestrip coupons because they would sometimes beep because the registers were programmed to beep an anything over $5.00).

Even worse than the couponers who slipped through a random 992 were the ones who abused the SCO system. They would scan one 992 for every item in their carts, knowing that there were no controls over the coupons. Several years ago, the SCOs only required you to slide your coupons through a slot when you completed your order. The unethical couponers would scan 992s on every item, then throw a few in the slot and pocket the best ones for future use. Eventually the stores wised up a bit and now most SCO require you to hand your coupons to the cashier...it doesn't solve the problem, but it can help a little.

Getting back on track...
The industry caught up with the 992 abusers, so now most major groceries are programmed to beep at ANY 992. Some of the pharmacies will also beep, but it's more of an individual store programming, rather than corporate-wide like the groceries.

Now it really sucks for those people trying to honestly use a 992 coupon, because most cashiers don't understand why the coupon is beeping and they think something is wrong with the item you purchased. It's hard to explain the problem to them, since they know nothing about coupon barcodes. When I get stuck with a 992 beep, I'll usually just let the cashier check the item and almost every time it'll be pushed through. Sometimes they'll get manager approval and I'll let them. There have been two times I can think of where the cashier/manager was going to refuse a coupon because they couldn't figure out why it was beeping. Both times I then got into the 992 discussion, which I think thoroughly confused them, but they ultimately accepted the coupons.

Personally, I wish they would just delete code 992 from the system entirely and if a manufacturer truly wants a BEEP every time the coupon scans, they can code the coupon 00.

The way I handle 992 coupons is to put those items at the very end of my grocery order, and hand those coupons to the cashier first. I tell them these coupons have beeped for me before, but here are the items (and show them the items). Since they were the last items scanned, they're still on the belt (my primary store has baggers), and easy for the cashier to grab and review if they need to.

I don't get into the whole 992 coding thing, because (1) most cashiers could care less, and (2) I think it makes me look suspicious that I know SO much about coupons.

I try to be helpful, but not TOO helpful, if you know what I mean.

I agree, which is why I don't bring up coding issues until after a manager refuses to push through the coupons, but I do like your idea about the scanning order and giving them the head's up.

Do they usually push it through as a mfg or store coupon.The manager was actually going to just push it through as a store coupon but that wouldn't work in this situation...

mfg coupon

:iagree: It's a manufacturer/vendor coupon. It won't go through as a store coupon, and just adds to the confusion.

It seems the stores around here are getting increasingly hesitant to push through mfg coupons(I'm sure the facebook fiasco didn't help in this regard)...It is telling that he was willing to just enter the amount as a store coupon (however I had already reached my limit of store coupons for that order which I already knew)but "didn't know what else he could do" when it came to pushing a mfg coupon through as a mfg coupon .But,thanks everyone for the help now that I know which stores 992's do and don't beep, I will just use them at the stores where they don't and everyone will stay happy...

hehe, not Heidi from 30 yrs ago (CONUS). my mom would always go to her lane, and that lady accepted A-N-Y coupon, even if we didnt buy the product. those were the dinosaur days before barcode scanners.

I wouldnt bring up coding to anyone behind the counter. They will always look at you suspiciously in the future (a) for having secret Masonic knowledge, and (b) everyone hates a layman knowing more about their job than they do.

If you need to push for mgr approval, use the written text of the coupon, not the barcodes.

I very rarely bring up coding to a manager...I've done it about 5 times in all the years I've been couponing. However, I've never had any future problems because of it. Like anything else, it all comes down to the WAY you present information.

Just few comments about what could have happend @ CVS:
First of all, CVS does not block the 992 code, what could have happened with you is, may be you did not have any item with a value above 4.00, and that can cause the coupon to beep. We shoud never count on overage from higher coupon value.
Second, I would put all my manufacturer coupon first before I put the 992 coupon. The reason is, the system might apply the coupon to an item that you are using a manufacturer coupon on and when it is time to use that coupon, it will beep. It happend to me during the Olay deal last month. I was buying the Olay and some other items, I think was some always pads, and the coupon was applied to the pads, and when I tried to use the pads coupon, it beeped. Next time I gave the Olay coupon at last, and it worked with the exact same items, since it was forced to be applied to the Olay since it was the only item I did not use coupon for.
One more thing I want to mention about CVS, if the coupon value is above the value of the item, it will apply the rest of the value to the second identical item. Ex, If you buy 4 dawn dish soap for 0.99 each and you have 4 1.00 coupons, it will apply each extra cent to the next bottle until the last coupon which will beep to be adjusted to 0.96. So, even if you are using $4.00 on one item and you have 2 items from the same family with total value exceed 4, your coupon will work.
I hope I did not confuse you all

Thanks and repped for this informative post...while it wasn't an overage situation your post got me thinking more about the specifics of what happened and I have now figured out what the problem was and more importantly what to do and not to do in the future when I use this coupon in a similar situation.For whatever reason, it was being counted by CVS's system as a store coupon(rather than a mfg coupon) for those interested...

Are you sure about this? In the scenario you're presenting, if I were to purchase multiple identical items with overage and use a coupon on EVERY ONE of the items, then the last coupon would beep because there wouldn't be enough product cost left to absorb the coupon overage. However, this isn't the case when I shop at CVS. As an example, I can buy 5 items for $.75, using a $1.00 coupon on each of the 5 items and none of the coupons will beep...I'd end up with $1.25 in overage as long as the cashier doesn't manually adjust.

Then you must be very lucky. None of the CVS registers that I've used allow for overage. They know the total price of your items, as well as how much to subtract for coupons, and the registers I shop at will not allot for overage.

I am sure about this, at least @ CVS stores in the DFW areas. I do that all the time. I remember when the had the cocoa reserve candy mark down to 0.75, I used to use 3 1.00 off coupons on 4 them. The system will not take the fourth coupon since the value of the first 3 covers the value of the candy. If you buy only one candy, the system will ask the cashier to adjust the coupon value to 0.75

This is exactly how it is in all the CVS's I've been to as well.

Same at my local CVS'. I can get overage on an individual item (assuming I bought more than 1), but the last coupon will need to be price-adjusted to match the balance left for that product.

Hm, somewhere in the discussion I missed that info. Is this something we can share here? I just know that coupons that beep really freak out the cashiers at some stores I shop at. It's always nice to know if your coupons are going to beep, and it does help to think about the order we put our items on the belt and the order we give our coupons.

I think 992's generally won't beep at CVS, and I think they generally do beep at Target. Anyone know about Walgreens, Walmart, Safeway & HEB?

TIA for your help! :)

992's definitely DO NOT beep at Walgreen's. They fly right through.

At the time I made the comment you are referring to, I thought the 992 had been programmed to beep at one CVS ,while it had sailed through at all the other CVS's.So, I was making note of which CVS's they worked(beep-free) and which they didn't.But, when another poster stated 992's work at all CVS's, it made me realize it was not that this CVS had programmed 992's to beep ,but rather it was the specifics of a particular transaction where I needed to use mfg coupons at that point ,and for this purpose the 992 was not counting as a mfg coupon.As confirmation of this, I used two of the same 992's at this same CVS in a non-limiting situation ,and they didn't beep though they did apparently prompt the cashier to key in taxable or non-taxable item(which seems odd in itself given 992's seem to be some kind of generic use on anything type coupon).

So,this appears to confirm that 992's work without beeping at CVS, and like you I would be interested in hearing what other stores they do or don't beep...

Ok, so 992's work without beeping at CVS and Walgreens, but usually beep at Target (although I have been told the FFS 992's are not beeping).

Anyone else able to share addiitonal info on this? :)

Albertsons and Safeway allows it w/o any beeps. Kroger blocks them and requires cashier verification.

Ok, so 992's work without beeping at CVS, Walgreens, Albertsons and Safeway, but usually beep at Target (although I have been told the FFS 992's are not beeping). Kroger blocks them and requires cashier verification.

Anyone else able to share addiitonal info on this?

I will keep adding to the list and repping for all clear answers, then maybe we can add this info to the wiki?

That will be a very good idea schnauzermomma :)
One thing that people need to be aware of, especially @ CVS, The computer system does not recognize where to apply the 992 coupon, and it tries to apply it for an item that you have plans to use another coupon on, so, it is better to use all your coupons before you use the 992 coupon to make sure it gets applied to the specific item you are using it for, otherwise, some of your coupons might get denied. I will try to do some further research about Target, I remember that they used to accept 992 coupons.

Just a reminder to proceed with caution with your posts, so this thread doesn't get locked. It's nice to know where 992s will beep, just so we can be prepared. However, as long as you buy the exact product listed on the coupon the beeps should never be a problem and the cashier will push them through.

Well, that's just not true. Some cashiers are so scared of coupons they won't take anything if it beeps. Beeps = something is wrong. Even if they read the coupon and are looking right at the item, some still won't push it through.

This is how 992s work at Stop & Shop, also. They seem to attach to the weirdest things. Best to use 992s last, and then use them in decreasing order. I never paid much attention before this education, thank you all!

Exactly, You should always use the coupons for the intended product. I even avoid using them at Kroger even if I have the right product because I do not like to have cashiers override any of my coupons. I established good reputation among all the stores that I go to that my coupons always matches my products and they never require to override any of them. It is still good to know this information. One more comment about 992 coupons @ CVS, they prompt the cashier to choose whether it is taxable item or not.

Example to show when this info is useful.
Once I found some coupons 2 off oil, and 2 off meat when you buy the same oil. The meat coupon was a 992 coupon, so, I was able to use both when buying that oil. On the other hand, I found some coupons for 1.00 off foil and another coupon for 1.00 seafood when you buy that foil, however, the seafood coupon was coded same as the 1.00 off foil, so, to avoid overriding that coupon, I used only the 1.00 foil in that case.

This is one of my reasons for asking about this.

I completely agree, I am not trying to get the thread locked, or suggest people use coupons on stuff other than what they are intended for. I am trying to understand where I can expect a coupon to beep even if I am buying the exact product.

This is one of the key reasons for my questions. I had several coupons beep all in a row at Target once, but since I had the exact products, the cashier ok'd them through. But on about the 4th beeping coupon, she put on her light and called a LOD over to review my coupons.

He refused one coupon because the the exact product I was buying wasn't pictured. I think it was .75 off any Nabisco product or something. Now how could a manufacturer who is that large picture ALL of their products on one 2" x 4" piece of paper?

He proceeded to refuse other coupons because I had a trial size item (All detergent). The coupon I was using did not specify 'excludes trial sizes' and I now have an email from corporate saying I can use these types of coupons on trial sizes.

He refused another coupon because then, "I'd get it for free!" Well sorry bud, I didn't set the sale price of your product, and didn't set the dollar value of the coupon, I'm just trying to enjoy being smart enough to match them up! :P

So, the more I know about what will beep and what doesn't, and where, the better I understand how long checking out there might take.

HOPEFULLY, no one is stupid enough to just give a bunch of coupons for stuff they didn't buy. Heck, for me I need to know I can go back to these stores and continue to get awesome deals.

I don't let the coupon Nazis push me around. If I can't get anywhere with a manager, I always email corporate and they fix the problem for me. I've had to contact corporate twice this month (both times it was from Walgreens transactions...two different stores).

Without getting into all the details of both transactions, the first time I was denied coupons totaling $4. I emailed corporate with the details and I received a call from the store about a week later. The manager apologized and said she was sending me a $4 GC. I found out yesterday when I tried to use it that the GC actually had $10 on it.

The second time, I had a MISERABLE trip with multiple problems on my order and a manager who didn't even know the store's own policies. My total "loss" was about $21, which consisted of a $10 register reward which didn't print, a $3 register reward which he wouldn't accept and ended up expiring the next day, and an $8 item which I had to purchase at full price and didn't really want. I emailed corporate and received a call from the store's general manager a few days later. He was WONDERFUL and apologized repeatedly for the troubles I was caused. He mailed me THREE $20 GCs, plus I have a $10 mail-in-form for the register reward which didn't print.

It pays to complain, as long as you do it in a professional manner.

thanks

Does anyone know of a free or really cheap online coupon barcode decoder? Just looking for something simple. If so, please pm me with the website.

coupon coding
 

I have $3 on Woolite Rug stick 511120431877 and then another bar code with 0011120-005184

can anyone help with decoding? pm if you need to

Thank you for this thread!

I have a question - what about double barcodes? I've learned that sometimes if the coupon beeps, that the cashier could cover one of the barcodes to let it go through.

Also back to that Huggies coupon $3/2 it exp 9/13 do you think I could still use it? I was thinking to use it at Target tomorrow. But I want to know that they'd get reimbursed. tia

Your coupon doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I have a coupon for $1.00 off any Woolite product and the coding is 5 62338 13076 7

Our coupons should have the same manufacturer's code, but clearly 11120 is not the same as 62338.

They should also both have *similar* product codes, but yours is 431 and mine is 130. At a minimum, both coupon should have the same first digit in this code.

Sorry I can't be of more help. All I can really tell you about your coupon is that the 5 at the beginning means it will double and the 87 means it's for $3.00. The 431 indicates that it's for a fairly specific product (most likely not the entire product line).

The second barcode on your coupon is inactive right now. All coupons will change to this new coding system beginning in 2010. It will make manual decoding almost impossible.

With some IP coupons, the scanner gets messed up by the second barcode and it will sometimes scan properly if the cashier covers the second barcode. I've never had a need to bring this up to a cashier, but some people do.

It will scan without a beep. Expiration dates are programmed into the extended barcode (by month only, not day), but I've never heard of a single store which programs its registers to read extended barcodes.

The store will get paid, but if your store doesn't have a specific policy permitting the use of expired coupons, then you should not be knowingly passing expired coupons.

11120 is for Bissell Homecare, Inc. Did you get the coupon when you bought a vacum cleaner? It might be 3.00 woolite when you buy Bissell Homecare, Inc. item. It will not work on the woolite by tself

$2 Caress body wash coupon
 

am I right that this is coded for 2 caress body wash or beauty bar products at K Smart only?

9 911111 992829

coupon
 

no, just found a pad of them at K Mart. No vacume purchase mentioned. Thanks for the help.

I never read this thread before,
but always use that site to decode.
I was wondering what happened as the decoder just stopped about 2 months ago.
I thought it had something to do with the lawsuit that he was fighting.
I do not understand why he pulled it, but he was a very brave man to stand up and fight....

How does a seller get reimbursed for the coupons? If I use a $1 off colgate toothpaste coupon.... does the seller has to show the proof (to the manufacturer) that he has sold a colgate toothpaste and a $1 off coupon was used?
How about the wrong usage of the coupons? If someone uses a coupon to buy a different product other than the one mentioned on the coupon (ex...992) ... will the seller be reimbursed?

Generally speaking, in order to get reimbursed for coupons, a retailer 1) must sell the product the coupon is for and 2) must be able to show that s/he had sold adequate amounts of that product. So if you're using a coupon for something the retailer doesn't even carry, they probably will not be reimbursed.

sometimes coupons beep because it wasnt subtotled before scanning the coupon... (the register is telling the cashier they need to do something before they can scan it)

i am soooooooooo confused. hotwhells barbie coupon for $5 off has 5 74299 55074 9 and then (8100)0 04124. how do i find out what i can use it on? anyone have any iedas?

If I recall correctly, there are only a couple of things that code out to match this coupon. My recommendation would be to read the Target, Walmart or Kmart thread, watch for someone talking about using them (usually abbreviated HW) and then PM them to ask.

992s also do not beep at Kmart.

I've had varying luck with 992s at Smiths (Kroger). Sometimes they beep and sometimes they do not. :confused:

Do all stores need intervention on the bogo q's? I have read that KMart and Target autodeduct some codes, any others??? What about Kroger?

On the 992, they always beep for confirmation at my CVS.

My Kroger autodeducts, as does Meijers. I don't believe CVS does. Of course, some stores may be different so YMMV I guess.

They do not beep for confirmation @ CVS. They prompt the cashier to enter either taxable/ non taxable items for the item bought by the coupon

Thanks, wish my kroger did that too. It is a pain going through SCO when you have bogo or free q's.

Sorry, didnt know the difference between the two. A beep is a beep for me :)

....................delete...................

Why coupons from scanners at CVS beep even if they are for the same card? I had various coupons like 5/25, 25 GC w prescription, and many others beep when they are from the scanner. Strangely, same coupons from the register beep much less frequently. I can't figure it out.

rc1000, please back up your statements with facts. I like to deal in facts rather than opinion or conjecture. Fact-based coupon basics makes shopping with coupons enjoyable & fun. Opinion, conjecture, & coupon ignorance makes shopping with coupons stressful & burdensome.

- What you are saying is in contradiction to what has been taught me by non-couponing supervisors/managers at 3 different stores across 2 different chains.
- What you are saying is also in contradiction to what has been confirmed by other couponers in other areas who have spoken directly with their store managers.
- The terms and conditions of a catalina coupon are also stated plainly on the front & back of the coupon, and it is not directed at any specific store, but rather "Grocer: (address of where to send the coupon)" & "Retailer: (t&c of mq redemption).

For CVS, I cut off a catalina's store name to highlight the facts, not to be "sneaky." At CVS, where all coupons that start with 99 beep, the cashier is forced to make a decision every time. Most CVS cashiers who are ignorant of coupon basics will come to the incorrect conclusion that the coupon beeped because it is only good at the store indicated. By cutting off the store name, I eliminate that distraction, so that they only deal in the actual facts on the coupon and not where it originated.

I don't cut the store name off a catalina from Ralphs to use it at either Vons or Target. Most catalinas don't beep at these stores. If a cashier questions the store name before scanning, I just note to the cashier (or supervisor called over by the cashier) the terms on the coupon... that they are standard manufacturer coupons directed to the retailer. When the coupon scans without issue, it confirms what I've said and one or two more people have been trained in coupon basics.

Yes, I do understand that many store managers have little knowledge of how coupons work & how they are processed. And that is why many of us wisely choose where we shop or use particular coupons, even within a particular chain. In any case, I don't want to "coupon down" to the level of a coupon-ignorant store. Rather than stress whether my legit coupon will be accepted, I arm myself with coupon facts and avoid the stores that make up their own coupon facts to suit their agenda. I'd rather "coupon up" to the level of a coupon-savvy store, so that I can learn a thing or two.

Here is an example of a non-couponing, yet coupon-knowledgeable, assistant manager at my Ralphs store: I gave him the $0.50 Propel mq that I'd torn from a Food-4-Less flyer. The mq was about 10" x 5" in size. He scanned it, the coupon doubled, making my Propel free. He didn't like how big it was; it didn't look like it would fit nicely in his register. He held the coupon against the edge of the counter and tore off the barcode portion. Putting the barcode in his register, he tossed away the rest. Shocked, I said, "You can do that?"

Certainly, if my understanding about catalinas is faulty, I welcome your correction... but please, only with facts. And for anyone else reading, please weigh in also!

could sombody please explain to me about family 37000

I believe that's for the Proctor and Gamble family of products. Why is that of special interest? :confused:

theres been talk about a 5 dollar q being used on tide i asked about it and they told me to do research on code 37000 i was wondering what q they were using

:shake: thats not nice

I agree

Cool:lol:

Hmmmm......where's this "talk?"

i read about it in the wal mart thread it was only the second time had had been in there

What does it mean if a coupon has all 0 for the family code and the value code? Thanks

If the family code is 000, then the coupon will not beep with any product which falls under the preceeding 5-digit manufacturer's code

00 "Beep" - Manual Input Required

Is this a free coupon? This must mean that it works for anything with the product code but the cashier must manually put in the price.

New to couponing, I love numbers and codes. I was interested in making sure that some coupons that I have would work on the products that I think they should so I asked for directions to this thread. It has been fascinating to a nerd like me!

I did some research on the new upc coding that is coming in 2010 (is actually being phased in on the software/hardware now). I don't think that manual decoding will be a thing of the past.

Here is a really easy to follow website that I found about the new coupon barcodes. The (8101) appears to be consistent on all of the extended barcodes that I have that are in the correct format. The offer code will be set by manufacturers so we should be able to follow those fairly closely and look for trends. While a five digit code offers 99,999 possible offers, each manufacturer will have to determine some numbering protocol. On giants like P&G the same offer code will have to be used multiple times before much time passes.

This really is interesting stuff to me, thanks for the thread!

I agree. I think it was very brave to stand up and fight.. I have been using it for the last month or so.. but for the past week, I can not get the site to load. Someone else told me they were having problems too.

Maybe they were shut down.. :(

The only thing I would add is the following. I have only used catalina coupons from one grocer to another (we have 3 major grocery chains in my area). Before using one from one store at another, I went to CS and asked if it was acceptable. I shop at these stores all the time and 1) I don't want to give them coupons for which they won't be reimbursed, and 2) I don't want to be embarrassed at check-out. In all situations, I was told that because these are manufacturer's coupons, the store would accept them. There was one time when a Shaw's cat wouldn't scan at Stop & Shop, no idea why; but that's the only issue I ever ran into. Hope my little bit of info helps someone...

Thanks for all your information, being a newbie, I totally need this help. I wanted to thank you for the time you put into making this forum discussion. It was really nice of you to explain how this system work.

A friend just turned me onto this thread today... filled with all sorts of WIN baby...

:hug: the OP... Schools out!

Is there a sight that I can go to to find out a manufacturers coupon code? I have a peelie that does not have the product that it is for listed on it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Look at Post #37 in this thread. It's not an all inclusive list, but maybe it will help you!

I have alot of $2.00 Q I got from a book at Ingles,every Q code says the same thing(38000 00051)but every Q says it is for something different.
example -$2 off store brand bottled water when I buy one special K cereal bars & special K protein water mix
next- says $2 off produce when I purchase one cereal and ceral bars
so does that mean any two items would work for the purchase of $2 off

Well stores Qs are coded differently from regular manu Qs. Obviously yours are coded for Ingles to take off $2 and they are relying on the cashier to monitor what you buy to match the Q. So it depends on your cashiers. HTH

but it is man Q

38000 = Kelloggs family code (usually)
000 = any item
51 = $2 good on two items

so, 38000 00051 = $2 good on any two items that have the 38000 family code (usually Kelloggs)

You can do the second 1/2 of this code by looking at the wiki of this thread.

HTH!

Post #37 has a bunch of family codes. sheysaves - also you could look for a online coupon decoder and plug in the entire upc.

So does anyone know why Right Guard coupons (even the ones right on the package) always seem to beep (at least at CVS)? I don't have one handy to decode. It's always annoying because it causes the cashier to scrutinize it to see what might be wrong with it. I assume they're something they are doing incorrectly in the coding.

Because they start with a 9 and is followed with a 9 in the barcode, so it beeps anywhere, no matter what item you buy, HTH.

What is the web page you are referring to?

Thanks